Michigan Couple Awarded $5M in Lawsuit Against Midwife

A Lansing, Mich., couple has been awarded $5 million in a lawsuit three years after their baby died following a botched breech delivery at a birthing center.

Ingham County Circuit Judge Clinton Canady ordered former nurse midwife Clarice Winkler to pay Sara and Jarad Snyder damages in the 2011 death of their son, Magnus.

The Snyders’ lawyer, Brian McKeen, tells the Lansing State Journal it’s unlikely his clients will collect any money because Winkler didn’t carry malpractice insurance.

McKeen says Canady’s ruling is a hollow victory because it’s a default judgment, meaning Winkler failed to respond to the allegations so the couple didn’t get a chance to confront her in court.

Winkler declined comment. She was found negligent by the state’s Nursing Board and has surrendered her license to practice.